Category: Blog
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Karat vs. Carat: Understanding the Difference Before Buying Fine Jewelry
The Origins of the Words “Karat” and “Carat” Although karat and carat sound almost identical, they have distinct meanings today. Interestingly, both words share a common historical origin. The term carat comes from the Greek word keration (κεράτιον), meaning “little horn,” which referred to the seed of the carob tree. In the ancient Mediterranean, carob…
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Should You Get A Topaz?
For thousands of years, topaz has journeyed through the hands of emperors, merchants, explorers, mystics, and jewellers. It has been worn as a symbol of power, treasured as a talisman, and admired for its beauty. Today, it remains one of the world’s most beloved gemstones because of its brilliance, colours, and accessibility. Whether found in…
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Seven Wishes Necklace by Persephone
This piece was inspired by my cousin Karen and my wishes for her. At Persephone, we call this Seven Wishes. The dark peacock pearls symbolise depth, experience, and resilience. May she always have the latter with her whenever she needs it. That is wish number one. Scattered throughout the necklace are luminous aquamarine gemstones, long…
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Plant roots mysteriously pulsate and we don’t know why
Etienne Farcot, University of Nottingham You probably don’t think about plant roots all that much – they’re hidden underground after all. Yet they’re continually changing the shape of the world. This process happens in your garden, where plants use invisible mechanisms for their never-ending growth. Scientists discovered about 15 years ago that genes at the…
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Basi del Diablo Now At Pangil Beach Resort
Currimao’s Pangil Beach Resort was relaunched recently and the property now carries Basi del Diablo Wines. The wines only entered the picture in August after a wine tasting was done in the presence of the resort’s owner and his partners. “The wine tasting was quite the treat because we got to talk about the wines…
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I research the therapeutic qualities of writing about art – here are three steps for trying it yourself
What do we learn about ourselves when we write creatively about an artwork? I asked myself this question during my creative writing PhD, where my focus was on writing a collection of poems in response to modern and contemporary art.
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Why Journalists Should Engage With Their Readers: A View from Slovakia
What happens when journalists join in the discussion in the often-frightening comments section below their articles? That’s one of the questions I sought to answer in my book, Discussing the News: the uneasy alliance of participatory journalists and the critical public, published earlier this year.
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Friday Essay: A Lament for the Lost Art of Letter-Writing
Of all the eulogies at her funeral, the most arresting was a letter she’d written at 23, read aloud by a former housemate, Delia. Our friend had been travelling at the time; negotiating a fledgling relationship, digesting the reality of her diagnosis, preparing for the suddenly precarious unfolding of her life.